12-26 Guru ji Leaves Patna

When the young Sri Gobind Singh Rai ji heard about his father going to Punjab, he was excited.  He came to his father.  He stood in front of his father and said: “Pitaji! You are going to Punjab.  You should make all your arrangements quickly and head to Punjab.  I hear it is really far away.  Punjab is where our forefathers are from.  It is a very joyous place.  Take me with you.  I would like to see our Desh.  I want to see where our house is and want to live there in peace.  I don’t like living in this Desh.  I want to go with you to Punjab.”  Guru Tegh Bahadhur Sahib ji heard his son and said to him: “your wish will be fulfilled soon.  You will live in Punjab.  When you live there, you can spread your radiance there, far and wide.  Your wealth and army will grow when you live there.  There will be a good time for you to go.  There are many issues with travelling to Punjab right now.  It will be very tiresome for everyone to go.  Eating meals become off-schedule when you travel.  You have to travel during daylight and rest only at night.  It gets really hot.  Your body is still small.  Right now, you should just play with your friends.  You should eat the proper foods for strengthening your body.  When you grow stronger, you will be able to withstand the fatigue of traveling, better.  That will be a good time for you to come.  I will go to my land, Anandpur, and look after the city now.  I will make sure it is well established and then, I will write to you all.  You can come on a nice vehicle.  Then, everyone here can come, in a slow and comfortable way, to Punjab.”  Guru Gobind Singh ji then responded: “I will wait for your letter Pitaji.  Go quickly and write to us.  That will be a good time to leave from here.  I will begin preparations to leave as soon as you leave, if you don’t write to us.  If you take too long, I will not wait for your letter though, and will come right away.  But I can’t go against your command.  I want to see our Desh so I want to go with you now.  I wish to go with you though.”  Both father and son talked for a while.  They had some secret conversations as well. 

Guru Sahib then came to the Sangat and told them to recite Satnam.  He instructed the Sangat: “do the Simran of Satnam.  Satnam Simran will give you great peace.  The Child Guru will stay with you.  Whatever he desires, make sure that is fulfilled.  Come and visit him everyday and you shall become pure.  He will be able to remove many types of obstacles in your lives.  Sing Keertan and listen to it.  Your sins will be washed away and the name of Akaal Purakh will begin to reside in your heart.  When the name resides in your heart, you will be freed from the cycle of birth and death and your bonds will be broken.  Do as much seva as you can of the House of the Guru and your wishes will be fulfilled.”  The whole Sangat including the Masands listened to Guru Sahib’s words and then spoke with deep emotions: “you first went to the East and all of the Sikhs waited for you.  You spent a long time in the East to help Raja Bishan Singh with his task.  After that, you came back here and it has only been a few months and now you wish to leave again.  The Sangat wishes to see you everyday and want you to live here.  We considered ourselves fortunate since you’ve been here.”  Guru Sahib heard their concerns and addressed them accordingly: “this body is always in the business of meeting and departing.  The Darshan of the child Guru is the same as my Darshan.  Have love in your heart and come to visit the Child Guru after I leave.”  Guru ji gave hope to the Sangat.  Night time fell and everyone went to sleep.

Guru Sahib woke up at 2:30 AM and bathed.  He then immersed his focus into himself and connected with Akaal Purakh inside of him.  When the sun came up, he got dressed and had food.  He sat with his son and put him in his lap to talk and play with him.  He gave him a lot of love.  Guru Sahib then bowed to Mata Nanaki ji and then got ready to leave.  The Sikh Sangat came to pay their respects and bowed to him with great love.  When Guru ji came into the home, Mata Gujri ji made a request to Guru Sahib: “please camp nearby today.  Keep your son with you today.  In the morning, you can leave and all of us will come back home.”  Guru Sahib mounted his horse and bowed to Mata Nanaki ji.  Mata ji kept on looking at her son’s face as she did not want him to go.  See loved her son dearly.  Mata ji was standing in the doorway and gave him many blessings.  She wanted the good for her son.  She did not cry, to prevent bad omens.    The Satguru knew that this was their last meeting and so he let them see him longer.  As Guru ji was departing, Mata Gujri ji folded her hands and bowed.  Guru ji left his home and came into the city.  The Sangat with the deepest faith came along with Guru Sahib.  Guru Gobind Singh ji was with him as well, as Guru ji travelled a little.  Patna was a great city with many rich people.  Guru ji made camp in the city and did Sangat with the Sahibzada and the Sikh Sangat.  Many people had arrived to see him, bringing many gifts.  Satguru ji sat in the Divan.  Guru ji gave wisdom to all.  He asked everyone to go home after the Divan and went to sleep at night.  In the morning, he bathed and then had a conversation with his son.  He then hugged his son and told one of his servants to take him back home.  He said to his son: “we will meet again.”  Guru Gobind Singh ji bowed to his father and went home.  He said to his father: “we will come quickly!” 

When Guru Gobind Singh ji got home, he told his mother and grandmother of what took place.  He told them: “I will go to Punjab in a few days.  We will live there.”  He said this to both of the mothers.  He was eager to go to Punjab and said that to both of the mothers everyday.  He had many conversations with them.

Guru Tegh Bahadhur Sahib ji was on his way.  He travelled slowly, the trek of about 1300 km.  How much of his Katha can I speak about as he travelled?  He went to many villages and met many people during this time.  He made camp at night and travelled during daylight.  Sangat would come see him where ever he stayed and brought along many gifts.  After a while he reached the shores of Jamuna.  He preached the name of Akaal Purakh where ever he stayed and guided them onto the path of Sikhi.  He then reached Ropar and crossed the mountains, arriving in Kiratpur.  Many Sikhs and Fakirs were with him and they visited the place of the elder Gurus.  The Deevan of Guru Sahib, Bhai Mati Das ji, was with Guru Sahib along with 4 or 5 horses.  They made sure the horses were well fed by collecting grass.  The horses ate grains and pulled through.  Guru ji set up the Dhera at Sri Kiratpur Sahib.  Guru Sahib’s brother, Baba Sooraj Mal ji, came to meet Guru Sahib with a lot of love.  They both asked how each other was doing.  Guru Sahib told him all about his travels to the East, how he visited the Teeraths.  He told him about the birth of the Sahibzada and how he is eager to come to Anandpur: “I will live in Anandpur.  I will send a letter to the Sahibzada and call for him.”  He told him that he will ask for him to come once he is well settled in.  He told Baba Sooraj Mal ji that Mata Nanaki ji is well.  It made Baba Sooraj Mal ji very happy to hear that Mata Nanaki ji was well.  They then got up and went to the place of Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib ji, Pataalpuri Sahib.  Both brothers folded their hands and bowed at Guru Hargobind Sahib ji’s place of rest along with the resting place of Guru Har Rai Sahib ji.  They visited the resting place of Baba Gurditta ji (the eldest brother) and then came back.  Guru ji stayed there at night.  Baba Sooraj Mal ji served Guru Tegh Bahadhur Sahib ji very well.  Baba Sooraj Mal ji introduced his grandsons to Guru Sahib.  Guru Sahib asked: “what are their names?”  Baba Sooraj Mal ji responded: “one is named Gulab Rai and the other is Shyam Das.”  Guru Sahib gave the kids jewellery and beautiful clothes.  He had them sit next to him.  He saw the future and knew that they will soon meet his son, Guru Gobind Singh ji, and stay with him.  Guru ji slept the night with everyone there. 

In the morning, Guru Sahib met everyone and left for Anandpur.  When he travelled about 15 km, the citizens of Anandpur heard of Guru ji’s arrival and came ahead to greet him.  They came with gifts and money and bowed to Guru Sahib upon seeing him.  Guru Sahib asked how everyone was doing.  They responded: “we are well because of your blessings, Guru Sahib.”  The citizens of Anandpur brought Guru Sahib into Anandpur with the utmost respect and took him to his home.  There was a great joy in Anandpur and everyone came to see him.  Men and women came to see Guru ji.  They had seen Guru Sahib after a long time and were very happy to see him.  They made gourmet delicacies and brought them for everyone.  The Ardaas was done and the Pakvaans and sweets were distributed.  The people were happy like a wife seeing her husband after a long time and rejoicing.  The people were in bliss, seeing their Master.  They all came to bow to Guru ji’s feet.  The camp was set for Guru ji.  The Sangat made preparations for many types of Langar and made sure Guru Sahib ji was served well.  Guru Sahib ate and rested the night.

In the morning, Guru Sahib bathed and then sat in the Divan.  As more and more people found out about Guru Sahib’s arrival, they came to the Divan as well.  The Sangat gathered and came.  The whole Desh found out about Guru ji coming back to Anandpur.  They heard and came.  The Masands of the nearby cities all came with their Sangat with joy and paid their respects to Guru Sahib.  Many Sikhs from Sri Amritsar came as well, bringing money and gifts.  Baba Gurditta ji, the heir patriarch of the family of Baba Buddha ji, came and brought a hawk for Guru Sahib.  He also brought a well-made bow from Lavpur (Lahore) along with a quiver full of sharp arrows.  He brought other gifts as well.  Sri Guru Sahib gave him a lot of respect and had him sit near him.  Guru Sahib asked him how he was and made sure he was served well.  Food was served to them. 

The Sangat from Kabul and other areas also came bringing money and gifts.  How many can I speak of?  Many Sikhs came when they heard.  They went back home happy, receiving their Siropas from Guru Sahib.  Guru ji made the Sikhs preachers as they went back.  Baba Gurditta ji and other beloved Sikhs, stayed with Guru Sahib in Anandpur.  Many people came and left.  Some time passed.  Kirtan was done as Divan was held everyday.  Many were blessed.  I can’t count how many received Brahm Gyaan at that time.  Guru ji gave them Gyaan by giving them wisdom.  New people came to become Sikhs.  After a while, Guru Sahib thought of his son and sent a message that: he should come and take care of his city as Guru Tegh Bahadhur Sahib ji had to leave and complete other tasks.  He wrote a letter to his son, seeing the state of the land: “come as soon as you receive this letter.  Come to Anandpur, Punjab and take care of it.”  A Sikh messenger took the letter and started on his way to Patna.  Satguru ji lived in Anandpur, blessing his servants.  Kavi Santokh Singh speaks of the Katha.

12-27 The Time of Aurangzeb

Sri Guru Tegh Bahadhur ji was living in Anandpur.  He spent the time in joy and peace.  The Sikhs would serve the Guru and wish for salvation.

The Turk King had taken a turn for the worse.  He implemented the Shariya law in his Empire.  He put pressure upon the Hindus.  He wanted the other religions to die out.  He began to pass unfair laws for Hindus for following their religion.  Aurangzeb said: “I will make everyone convert to Islam and live in the Shariya law.  Without the Shariya, these people would go to Hell.  The one who doesn’t keep the Imaan, they are bad.  Sri Mohammed ji lived in the West during his time and most of that area has now converted to Islam.  Where ever there were weak Hindus in that area, they converted to Islam.  I will make sure that people in the East will convert to Islam as well.  Everyone comes from the West; these people will convert seeing them in the Shariya.”  The Badshah consulted with his Maulvis (Muslim religious scholar) and they all praised and agreed with his plan.  He sent Parwanas (royal command) across his empire. 

The Kashmir regions was the first to get the Parwanas.  [The area of Kashmir was established by Rishi Kashyup.  It was a centre for higher learning.  Many Brahmins and Scholars lived there.] The governor of Kashmir was Sher Afghan Khan.  He was quite a strict governor.  Sher Afghan made the region quite poor by over taxing them.  When the Parwana was received, Sher Afghan read it: “make the whole region convert to Islam.  Give them incentives of wealth and land.  Tell them that you will be given all the pleasures of life if you convert.  Convince them slowly and inspire them.  Speak to them with love and bribe them with greed.  Show them your power and bring them under the Shariya by any means.  Don’t force them with might but give them the incentive of marriage to rich Muslim girls.  People who follow the Hindu religion; who are rich and scholarly, such as Brahmins, get them to convert first.  Make them Turks, slowly.”  Afghan Sher understood what was asked of him by the Emperor Aurangzeb.  He asked all the rich and scholarly people to come see him.  When they came, he spoke to them: “the Emperor has sent a command.  Read it.  He wants to give you a high status.”  All of the Brahmins read the Parwana and felt bad about it.  They didn’t say anything and began to worry.  They thought for a very long time and then spoke in regards to their religion: “nobody has done anything like this before.  They want to forcefully put their rule of law upon us.  How can we leave our religion?  This religion has existed since the universe was created.  Our ancestors have been following this religion since the dawn of humankind.  The Turks want to show their might and force us.  We can’t throw away our purpose in life, just like that.  We will keep our religion till we die.  We can’t live a lie.”  The scholarly people discussed this thought and then went home.  The ones that were rich in Dharma, they refused.

Many days passed (about 2 months) since that meeting had taken place.  Then, another message came from the Emperor which worried Sher Afghan.  He got very angry and thought of a strategy: “I will first convert the Hindus living in the villages.”  The Brahmins living in the mountains along with the Kshatriyas, in order to convert them, he came with his force of armed soldiers and forced all of them to convert.  One day, he got all of the Hindus living in the villages in a radius of 30 Kos, to come together in one place.  He got them to remove their Janyows (sacred Hindu thread worn by Hindus) and weighed them on a scale.  When the weight reached 1.25 Munn (or Maunds; in the old scales, it is not clear what the exact weight was but the research shows it was any where from 40 lbs to 160lbs for 1 Munn), all of those people converted in one day to Islam.  The Hindus shouted in disbelief.  The Kshatriyas were called Khakhas and the Brahmins were called Bhumbas.  There were many mountains in Kashmir in which Hindus lived upon.  In a few days, they were all converted to Islam.  All of the people who converted, their wealth began to grow.  The Hindus became poorer.  The stubbornness of the Hindus broke.  The people that stayed Hindu, began to lose their faith as they saw this. 

Sher Afghan called all of the Brahmins to him and said: “fold your hands and read the Kalma (passage by which one declares Allah as the only God and Mohammed as his Prophet; and converts to Islam).  It is futile to resist the Shariya law.  You can’t run away from it.” The Hindus heard this.  All of the Brahmins were worried and talked amongst themselves: “we don’t see any way out of this.  They (Muslims) rule over many lands and are very powerful.  There is no place to hide.  Let’s all go to the holy place of Amareshwar (Amar Nath) and perform a hunger strike penance in front of the Lord, Shiva.  We will not eat or drink.  We will die but not eat or drink anything unless Lord Shiva grants us a boon to save our religion.  Let’s go to the governor with a strategy.  We will ask for a month or two to think about this.”  They went to Sher Afghan, the Sooba, and spoke to him with their hands folded: “give us a time limit of 6 months to think about this.  We will make efforts on what to do.  We will try to save our religion.  Otherwise, after 6 months, we will do as you say.  You are powerful in the world.”  Afghan Sher accepted their request.  The good Brahmins then got ready to leave.

“It is better to die then to leave our religion,” they said.  They travelled many miles and reached Amar Nath with a deep faith.  They sacrificed food and water and sat down all around the temple after bathing.  They began to recite the thousands of names of Shiva.  “Shamboo, Chanderchoor, Mridr” they recited.  “Neel Kunta, Shooli, Har, Jatty, you have white ash on your body.  You killed Andak the demon, Rudra, Trilochan.  You are Shanker, you free your servants from worry and fear.  You are the idol of Tapp and have a great radiance.  You are happy whoever recites your name, even a little bit.  Mahadev, Bhava, you bless everyone.  You killed Tripura and are the remover of obstacles.  You restore the tradition of the world and are known in the Puranas as the husband of Parvati.  You hold the Pinaki bow and speak one word to do as you please.  When the Devatas are in trouble and come to you for help, you assist them and save them.  Deena Bandoo, you relieve the poor of their pains.  You live on the Kailash Mountain, Prabhoo, Pasupathi, Eshwar, Bhagavan.  Every one lives off of your charity.  It is now the difficult time of Kaliyuga.  Kaliyuga is very strong and radiant.  The power of the Turks has increased many fold and they want to destroy the Hindus, religion and all.  They want to destroy the traditions of the faith.  The Brahmins have come to seek your protection.  There is no one else who can save us.  The Turks are very powerful and you don’t want to destroy them, just as you did not want to destroy Raavan.  You need to save the big Hindu religion.  Protect them or else everyone will be the same religion and the worship of the Devatas will be stopped.  The Brahmins come to you with humility.  We are without power and come to you with humility.  Protect us from extinction.  Be compassionate towards us.”  The Brahmins continued the recitations and offered incense and Divas.  They made many sacrifices to Shiva as offerings.  Some bowed in a stick formation and repeated their request.  They sacrificed food and water, all day and all night.  They cried and sat in one place and didn’t sleep.  They offered the leaves from the Datura, Ukk and Bill plants and focused on the “Bholaanaath” (the innocent one).  Eight days and eight nights passed.  They had defeated hunger, thirst and sleep.  They had accepted death but did not want to leave their religion.  Some would faint from hunger.  When they would regain consciousness, they would continue their recitation.  They were losing strength without food or water.  They tolerated the pains.  They did many types of Poojas and shed tears from their eyes, continuously.  They sat on the Mrigshala and meditated.  They focused on the holy form of the Ardnareshwar (half Shiva and half Parvati) that had a snake around its neck and ash on its body.  There was a garland of skulls around the neck and the hair was in dreadlocks, tied in a Joora.  The Ganga was coming out of the bun made of dreadlocks.  The third eye that harbours the great fire, was shining.  The Dhumroo was being played in the other hand.  The form was very scary looking but it was a blessing for servants to see and focus upon.  The Brahmins focused on this form of Shiva. 

The throne of Shiva began to rock.  The cries and screams of his devotees reached his abode.  He recognized that his servants were in trouble and needed his help.  Mahadev, the Omniscient One, the Master knew of their pain.

12-28 The Kashmiri Pandits

Shiva noticed that the Brahmins were at their end point and they were determined to die or ask for a boon.  Shiva became compassionate.  He produced a letter with his divine power and threw it in the temple.  The letter said: “in the time of Kaliyuga, Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji is the master.  His praise and power are unquantifiable in Kaliyuga.  He is complete in every way possible.  Whoever is currently his incarnation, sitting on his Ghaddi, is the one that will assist you.  Take this letter that you hold, to him, and tell him your troubles.  He will protect your Dharma and way of life.  There is no one else who can save you.  Get up and have some food.  Have faith in your heart towards the Guru.”  This letter was dropped in the centre of where the Brahmins were all sitting, hungry and thirsty, but because it was night time, the Brahmins did not see the letter till morning.  They all saw the letter by the sun’s first rays.  They picked up the letter and noticed the clean writing in the letter.  They read the letter and rejoiced, for they had just witnessed a miracle.  They understood exactly of what was required from them.  They asked each other: “who is the current Guru?  Does anyone know?  Say it.”  One of the Brahmins knew and stated that it was Guru Tegh Bahadhur Sahib ji who was the Guru Bhagwant.  He said to all: “I will tell you what I know.  First, Guru Hargobind Sahib ji came to Kashmir.  I was young when I met him.  There was an old lady named Mata Bhaagpari, who had made a chola with her own hands for the Guru.  Guru ji came to visit her and blessed her.  The Guru gave the message of Sikhi to many servants in Jammu and Kashmir.  Guru Hargobind Sahib ji had five sons but he gave the Guruship to his grandson, Guru Har Rai Sahib ji in 1701 Vikram (1644 AD) and left this world to go to Akaal Purakh.  After Guru Hari Rai ji, his son Guru Har Krishan Sahib ji became the Guru, who attained the supreme status at a young age and was worshiped.  Guru Har Krishan ji sat on the throne for 2 years.  As he left this world, he made the proclamation that “the Baba is in Bakala.”  He then went to Sach Khand.  It was Sri Guru Tegh Bahadhur Sahib ji that resided in Bakala and it is now known throughout the world that Guru Tegh Bahadhur Sahib ji is the 9^th Guru.  We must go to him and ask him to save our Dharam.  He is above the world’s opinion.  This is no time for holding back due to self respect or superstitions.  The Guruship is known to be the most powerful as Guru Nanak Dev ji had defeated all of the doubters and debaters.  He is beyond the realm of time and he is complete.  He possesses all of the powers of Akaal Purakh; whatever he wishes, he can do.  His glory his great and is spread thousands of miles away.  He assists his Sikhs, thousands of miles away.  This is known to all.”  All of the Brahmins heard this and decided to go to Guru Sahib.  They were determined, as they had received a note written by Shiva.  They bowed to the note, over and over again, and got up. 

The Brahmins all got together and decided to go to Punjab to find Guru Tegh Bahadhur Sahib ji.   They started their journey.  They crossed the Peer Panjaal Mountain and then the Ratan Panjaal Mountain.  They reached the city of Rajouri Naggar in the Jammu district.  Passing through that city, they crossed Tehsil Pimber city and were on their way.  They managed to cross the mountainous terrain and reached Sri Amritsar.  From there, they found out where Guru Tegh Bahadhur Sahib ji was.  They found out that he had visited all of the Teeraths of the East and was now living in Anandpur.  “Many people come to bow their heads in front of him.  Their wishes are fulfilled.  He sits on the throne of Guru Nanak Dev ji and his name is Sri Guru Tegh Bahadhur ji.  He is the treasure of virtues and possesses all of Akaal Purakh’s powers.  He is the most patient and complete Brahamgyaani.”  When they heard his glories from Amritsar, they were now at peace as they now knew that Guru Sahib will protect the Hindu Dharam.  They all started their journey towards Anandpur.  They crossed the Bipasha (Beas) River, which had the strong following, pure water.  They crossed the river by boat and got off when they reached the other shore.  The Brahmins had faith.  They travelled through Dvaaba and then crossed the Sutlej River.  They had reached the point where the beautiful Anandpur was located.  They camped at a location that they saw fit and washed their feet to calm their fatigue.  They ate and rested the night and planned on seeing Guru Sahib in the morning.

The Brahmans woke up the next morning and bathed.  They did their daily practices of Khat Karmas and prepared Sandalwood to apply the marks on their foreheads.  They brought their gifts and reached the court of Guru Sahib.  The Mevra took notice and went inside the court to tell Guru Sahib with his hands folded: “Prabhoo ji, there are Pandits that have arrived, who are from Kashmir.  The Brahmins stand at the door and wish for your Darshan.  They are the top scholars from their area and they wish to see you.”  Guru Tegh Bahadhur Sahib ji heard the Mevra and laughed.  He said to the Mevra: “let them come in.  They are in trouble.  A great danger has fallen upon them.  They have brought a message from Shiva for me.  This will be the path to peace for all.  Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji had a servant named Kamila Das who was sent to get grass.  He was given ash by Shiva himself.  It seems as though a message for me has come via a similar method.”  All of the Masands and Sikhs that were close by, were surprised to hear Guru Sahib’s words and came and sat beside Guru Sahib.  There was depth in his words.  The Masands all discussed Guru ji’s words.

The Mevra asked all of the Pandits to come inside.  They all came and bowed their heads.  They presented their gifts and bowed to Guru Sahib.  They had brought shawls, clothes and apples as offerings.  They were very happy and at peace once they met Guru Sahib.  They gave blessings to Guru ji and sat down.  Guru Sahib asked them how they were: “tell me about your country/region.  What is the news from your area and how is everyone?  You are the leading Pandits and scholars of your area, why have you not brought your students or other Sangat?  There are many Sikhs in your area belonging to various castes.  Why were they not gathered and brought along with you as a group?  Have you come to visit me or is there some other reason why you are here?”  After listening to Guru Sahib’s words, the Brahmans responded with their hands folded: “as a person holds an Amla (gooseberry fruit) on their palm and can evidently see it, knowing what it is without a doubt, oh Lord, you know everything in this universe.  You are aware of all three worlds.  Since you have commanded us to tell you, we will tell you what our country is going through.  The Mughals have been ruling for a long time now.  They bother the citizens and take their money away from them.  Now they have taken a turn for the worse, they want to convert all of the Hindus, living in the mountainous areas, to Islam.  They have spoiled the Dharma.  They removed so many Janyows in one day that weighed 1.25 Munns.  They do this on a daily basis.  They gathered us all up and showed their prowess and tell us to convert to Islam.  We have asked for a time limit of six months and then we went to the shelter of Shivji’s place.  We went 8 days without food and water.  We were given a letter from Shiva to give to you.  Mahadev sent us to you.  Please read it as it mentions your glory.”  They gave the note to Guru Sahib and continued: “Aurangzeb Chaugata’s power is increasing like an elephant, wishing to pull the tree of the Hindu Dharam.  He wants to pull the roots of this tree.  He wants to do this while a strong lion, like yourself, is on this Earth.  We have come to your sanctuary.  Kindly protect us, as Shiva has advised.  There is nobody else as strong as you that can protect us.  You are omnipotent.  You are our only hope.  Please hold our arm and put us in your boat of protection.  We will sink otherwise.  Be compassionate towards us.  Sail us across like a ferryman.  We have heard the scriptures of the Puranas that say Akaal Purakh comes to protect his devotees when Dharma is in danger.  He becomes the protector and saves them.  You are the Avatar of Akaal Purakh and possess all of the virtues of Guru Nanak Dev ji and all of the Gurus after him.  He did the pure tasks in the world.  Please support the Hindus and protect them, otherwise, not one Hindu will survive.  If the Hindu Dharam is desecrated, then no one will worship the Devatas and others.  The Home and Yagnas will cease to occur.  How will the existence of the Devatas, that keep the elements stabilized, continue?  There will be a drought in the world and everything on Earth will be in danger.  The world will be destroyed.  For these reasons, Guru Sahib, please protect the Hindu Dharam because only then will the Devatas receive their energy so that the maintenance and upkeeping of the world will continue.  The Maryada of the world will survive.”  The Brahmans continuously presented their pleas to Guru Sahib and bowed to him many times.  They folded their hands and made their requests.  “We are in pain and come to your shelter.”  The Brahmins praised Guru ji, over and over again.

12-29 Ahdeeyas Begin their Search

Satguru ji heard the Brahmins.  He began to think about a solution to the Brahmans’ problem: “the boon that Guru Nanak Dev ji gave is big, which gave the Moghuls the kingdom of Hindustan.  How can the rule of the Moghuls come to an end?” Guru Sahib thought to himself.  He began to think of many strategies, and was quiet the whole time.  Everyone in the court was also quiet, as they looked upon Guru Sahib.  Guru Sahib was holding the note written by Shiva, in his hand.  He understood what the note was implying.  He read the note and remained quiet.  He was quiet for about an hour and a half and then began to think of a path out of this.  Nobody else knew what the solution was.  Guru ji thought to himself: “I will give my head and make the Turks guilty.  This will finish the rule of the Turks that was given to them.  This is in fact, the only way.” Guru ji thought about this.  His mind was made up.  He thought of infinite other combinations of possibilities in which this scenario would play out, where their religion could survive.  There was only one: he would have to give his head.  He spoke to the Pandits: “oh Pandits, gather all of the other leaders and scholarly Brahmins from all the regions, and go to Delhi.  Go and meet the Emperor in Delhi and tell him the state you are in, with the choices that you have been presented with.  Tell him that the Kshatriyas are your saviors and protectors.  Your subsistence and livelihood are dependant on their donations.  There are many rites and rituals that you perform for them.  In turn, they provide you with donations.  Say my name amongst the Kshatriyas.  Tell him to call me to Delhi.  Tell him: “we will follow whatever Guru Tegh Bahadhur ji will do.  Whatever path Guru Tegh Bahadhur ji takes, all of the Hindus will follow.” Ask him why does he bother with converting everyone?  Just ask the head to what his wish is.  Go for the roots.  When the Emperor hears this, he will call me to Delhi and all of the Hindus will be saved.  I will protect you in any way that I can.  Whatever Shivji has written, I will keep it in my heart and make sure it will succeed.”  All of the Brahmins heard Guru Sahib and bowed their heads with joy.  They all shouted, “you are great, you are great!”  They accepted Guru ji’s proposal.  They were all at peace now and had faith: that their religion will now survive.  They all stayed with Guru Sahib for three hours.  The scholarly Brahmins then got up and came outside.  They stayed in Anandpur for about two days and visited Guru Sahib as much as they could.  Their minds were at peace when they visited him.  Their hearts were in joy, doing his Darshan.  They then asked Guru Sahib for his permission to leave as their task was a daunting one ahead of them. 

The wise Pandits went from village to village and gathered the head Brahmans.  They all gathered and headed towards the home of the Emperor.  They reached his city in a matter of a few days.  They met the Pandits of Delhi as well and gathered them to head towards the palace of the Emperor.  The guards at the palace asked the Pandits why they had arrived.  They Pandits told them: “we are the Pandits from many regions and we have gathered to come and speak to the Emperor.  We are suffering and have come to state our pleas.  We want the Emperor to come to a decision after we speak with him.  The Hindus of Kashmir and other places are in pain.  Please tell him the Pandits of Kashmir are here to see him.”  The guards went to the Emperor and told him: “my King, there are Pandits who have come from many regions in the thousands.  They wish to present their pleas to you.  They have come from Kashmir, Jammu, Peshawar and other places.  These Pandits are scholarly and rich as well.  They are the leaders of the Hindu communities.  They have come here.”  The Emperor, Aurangzeb, heard the guard and began to think: “this must be a situation in which the Shariya is involved.  This is why they are here.”  He told them to come inside.  The Pandits arrived in the Divan-E-Aam within the Laal Qila.  The Pandits came in and sat down.  The Qaazis, Maulanas and Aalams (scholars) were seated in his court.  There were 1,400 Aalams in his court.  Many Umraavs were in the court.  They all wore expensive clothes and jewellery.  They wore long and beautiful clothes.  The Pandits bowed to the Emperor and stood with their hands folded.  The Shah looked towards the Pandits and wanted to hear them.  When they were given the time to speak in court, they began to state their plea with patience: “we are helpless, oh King.  We are here to tell you about our pain.  Our religion is in trouble as we are facing extinction.  You have sent a command to us, to convert us all to Islam within 6 months.  We have found out that this is your wish.  We all wanted to visit you and state our plea: we want you to consider our subsistence.  Our subsistence depends on the Kshatriyas.  These people are our saviours and protectors as we rely on their donations.  We have the right to receive their donations; this is something that is universally known.  It is not hidden from anyone.  Wherever we live, it is always the Kshatriyas that provide for our livelihood.  In the Hindu Dharma, the Kshatriyas are considered the strongest.  They are the kings and warriors.  The Mughals have only been here for about 200 years.  Before that, the Kshatriyas were the Kings.  They would do Yagnas for their welfare and that is how we would survive as they would pay us for it.  Even though they are not the kings now, they still provide for us via other means of making a living.  They farm lands or run their businesses and provide for us.  Within the Hindus, the Kshatriyas are the wealthiest and most powerful.  They are a higher caste and their deeds are good.  They are known to be good people with good personalities.  Within the Kshatriyas, the one whose praise is casted over the land like a blanket, the greatest is Sri Guru Tegh Bahadhur Sahib ji.  All Hindus consider him their Guru.  Guru Nanak Dev ji is considered the greatest, who planted the seed of Sikhi in the world.  The whole world worships Guru Nanak Dev ji.  The people bow to his feet and worship him with their hands folded.  He is the greatest in the world and there is no other as great as him.  Their Sangat is in the thousands, hundreds of thousands, that come everyday and bring many gifts.  Everyone listens to him as that is the path to peace and serenity in both Loks.  Whoever comes to Guru Tegh Bahadhur Sahib ji with faith, their wishes are fulfilled.  They come and go singing his praises.  Guru Sahib tells everyone the right way to live.  He is the great Guru of the World for this reason.  The Hindu religion is reliant on Guru Sahib.  The Guru is our leader.  Whatever he says, people listen; then they are saved in both worlds.  The Hindu world is behind him.  He is connected to Akaal Purakh and does not care of worldly matters.  We ask you, Oh King, if you ask Guru Sahib to come under the Shariya, the Hindus will all follow.  Ask him to become a Muslim and come into Islam.  There is no need to target individuals, that is too much effort.  If Guru Sahib becomes a Turk, everyone else will follow him.  We just need subsistence.  If the Turks feed us, we will become Turks.  If converting one person will cause the whole nation to be Muslim, what’s the point of bothering individuals?  Nobody will reject the Shariya then.  They will follow Guru Tegh Bahadhur ji.  There is nothing we can do.  We are not in big numbers.  The Hindus will become Muslims by just one task.  Please call Guru Tegh Bahadhur Sahib ji to Delhi and try to convince him.  You can then talk to him or use force.  First make the Guru a Turk.  We will all follow.  This is a fact we tell you.”  The Emperor thought to himself that this was a good idea: “Brahmins, what you say is true.    I will do as you say.  It will be good if the Guru converts to the Shariya.  The Sikhs will have no doubts then.  I will first call Guru Tegh Bahadhur Sahib ji.  Seeing him convert to Islam, all of the Hindus will follow.  They will no longer doubt Islam.”  All of the Maulanas, Aalams and Qaazis heard this and said: “that is an excellent idea!  This will make our task easier.  Everyone will accept the Shariya with respect.  If a great and powerful saint converts to the Deen, the whole world will come under the Shariya law.”  The Emperor, Maulanas, Aalams and Qaazis were pleased with the advice the Pandits gave.  The fools did not know that they were headed towards disaster.  Their roots were going to be pulled.  Their tapp and radiance were about to come to an end.  They were going to pull their own roots.  They had passed an order to send a command to Guru Tegh Bahadhur Sahib ji to come to Delhi: “just like Baba Ram Rai ji had come, so will the Guru come.  The Previous Gurus have left this world.  The current Guru is known to be Guru Tegh Bahadhur ji.”  The Emperor called two of his messengers known as Ahdeeyas.  Aurangzeb told them: “ask the Brahmins and find out where Anandpur is and go there.  There, lives the Sodhi Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadhur ji.  Tell him that I would like him to come see me in Delhi.  See what he says, and report back to me.  Tell him that I want to see his miraculous powers.  Just like his grand nephew came and showed me his powers, I would like to see his powers or he should do what I say.”  The Ahdeeyas got ready and headed towards Anandpur after asking the Brahmans.  The Ahdeeyas left Delhi and headed towards Anandpur.  The fool Nauranga (Aurangzeb) would live in conflict with Saints, Peers and Gurus.

12-30 Ahdeeyas Return, Guru ji in Saifabad

The Ahdeeyas, being of higher ranks, got on top of flatbed palanquins.  They took all their belongings and servants with them.  The servants grabbed the side rods and picked them up and were on their way out of the city.  The way they travelled was: they would go from village to village and change the royal servants in each village.  There were specific servants within each region that would get the Ahdeeyas across their area.  New people changed at every new village.  They would travel in comfort from region to region and assert their commands on the citizens, demanding gourmet foods to eat with luxurious sweets and ghee.  They would demand meats to eat.  They travelled at a slow pace and kept their aim of Anandpur.  It had been many days of travelling upon the heads of the servants, on top of the flatbed palanquins.  They had reached the Sutlej River and camped in Anandpur.  They ate their dinner and spent the night in their camps.  In the morning, they got up and found out when Guru ji held court.  They wished to see Guru Sahib in his court. 

They reached the entrance of Guru ji’s court and sent a message to Guru Sahib: “the Emperor’s Ahdeeyas are here to see you by his command.  The Emperor wishes to see you in Delhi and would like you to come to the city of Delhi.  For this reason, we are here to see you.”  Guru ji’s guard took their message and went to Guru Sahib to tell him: “Guru Sahib, two men are here, who say the Shah wishes to see you in Delhi and want to take you along with them.”  The great Guru, who was all-knowing; can see past, present and future; made a comment in a very calm and collective manner: “the messengers of Dharmaraj (Devata of Death) are here!  I believe it is time to take care of the situation that the Pandits of Kashmir had presented to me.  The time is near.”  Bhai Matidas ji, Guru ji’s Deevan, said to Guru Sahib: “Sri Prabhoo ji, what is this that you have understood?  The Emperor is aware of the power of the House of the Guru and respects it.  He will be humble and respectful.  He gave a lot of money to Sri Ram Rai ji and gave him a seat to sit next to him in his court.  Everything has been good and he has love and respect for you as well.  He respects Baba Ram Rai ji still.  You are his elder.  It would be good to meet the Emperor.  Why have you spoken painful and negative words?”  Guru Sahib responded to Bhai Matidas ji: “only that occurs which is planned by Akaal Purakh Parameshver.  I will never be on good terms with the Emperor as he is a liar and is evil.  He has caused many saints a lot of pain.” The Ahdeeyas were called inside.  As soon as they stood in front of Guru Sahib, their immorality was gone and were wonderstruck by Guru Sahib’s appearance.  They saw the radiance and calm nature of Guru Sahib, who was always in a still-state; unaffected by joy or sorrow.  Noticing the saintly personality, their minds compelled them to bow their heads lower and Salute Guru ji, as per Islamic tradition.  They bowed with humility.  They looked around to see the people sitting in Guru ji’s court.  They saw saints Sadhoos and Bhagats.  The Ahdeeyas gave Guru Sahib the written message by their own hands.  Guru ji had the letter read out, which said: “please come here and visit me.  Please be compassionate and give me your Darshan.  I have heard about your glories from many, and therefore wish to see you.”  As the announcer read out the message, Guru Sahib asked for a paper and told him to write a response: “if you wish to see me, then I will come towards Delhi so you can fulfill your wish.  You had first heard about the power of the House of the Guru and called Ram Rai to you.  Then you called for Sri Guru Har Krishan ji and now you have called me.”  The written response was given to the Ahdeeyas.  Guru Sahib gave them money along with the response.  He said: “he can do as he please.”  The Ahdeeyas’ greed saw the money and bowed, happily taking the money without saying a word to Guru ji.  The Ahdeeyas took leave from Guru ji.  They climbed their palanquins and headed back to Delhi in the same slow manner they came.

The Ahdeeyas came to Delhi and gave Nauranga Guru ji’s message which read: “I will come to you and stay a few days.  The Chumaasa is upon us so I will come after the four months of rain.  There will be a lot of water and mud on the way.”  Aurangzeb read the message and went quiet.  He began to think about Guru Sahib coming: “will he come by himself?”

Guru Sahib in Anandpur began to make preparations to leave.  He took only a few of his Sikhs along with him in his travels.  He was on his way to do a huge task.  In the month of Haad (June), Guru Sahib left Anandpur and was on his way.  The Sikhs and Masands that were there, took leave and went back to their regions.  Everyone praised Guru Sahib’s calmness and serenity as they left.  Sri Prabhoo ji headed east and would travel small distances in his journey.  The city of Patiala had not yet been established.  Guru Sahib reached the future area of Patiala.  There was a pleasant Turk person named Saifdeen living there.  He had founded a city and named it Saifabad (currently Bahadurgarh).  He had heard of Guru ji’s glory and wanted to stay with him but never had the opportunity.  Something always kept him busy.  He had a deep thirst in his heart to meet Guru ji by going to him.  The Omniscient Satguru ji knew this: “he wishes for my Darshan.”  Guru ji camped near Saifdeen’s area.  Somebody told Saifdeen: “a great saint has come to your garden.”  Saifdeen sent a messenger to see who it was.  The messenger found out who the saint was and came back to tell him: “whom you wished to see, he has come to your garden, suddenly.  It is Sri Guru Tegh Bahadhur Sahib ji.  I asked his companions about his name.”  As soon as Saifdeen heard the news, he got up in joy and went straight to Guru ji’s camp to see him.  He took a few coins and presented them in front of Guru Sahib.  He bowed his head and said: “you have blessed me, Guru Sahib.  You came to give me your Darshan.  You are the redeemer and most giving.  It is the time of the Chaumasa.  Bless me now.  It is really hot and wet, please spend this time with me.”  He touched Guru Sahib’s feet after he spoke and rubbed his hands on his face as a gesture of love and respect.  He said: “I am blessed today.”  Guru Sahib saw his love and said to him: “very well!  If you wish me to stay here for the hot and rainy months, I will stay.  After that, I need to go see the Emperor and will leave after the rains.”  Saifdeen heard this and had the camp moved to an area which was in the village amongst the gardens.  Saifdeen supervised the whole move and made sure everything went as plan.  He served Guru ji well, bringing everything they needed.  He spoke with love.  He went home with great joy in his heart.  That night Guru Sahib had dinner and went to sleep.  In the morning, Guru Sahib bathed, got ready and sat down in his daily meditations.  Saifdeen came in the morning with love, to listen to Guru Sahib’s words.  With great joy, he bowed to Guru Sahib and Guru Sahib would get Saifdeen to sit next to him.  Guru Sahib would talk about many topics with Saifdeen and gave him bliss.  As Guru Sahib would speak to him with peace and stillness, Saifdeen’s mind was coming under his own control as he listened.  Saifdeen then spoke to Guru Sahib and said: “please stay here with love for the full four months.  It is not a good idea to travel in the mud and water.  It is hard to travel during this time.”  Hearing Saifdeen’s request, Guru ji Sahib changed his plans of travelling.  Guru Sahib said: “what you say is good.  It is not a good idea to travel in this weather.  It gets muddy and the grass grows tall.  The snakes and other animals come out too and make it difficult for travellers.  When the rains end, I will leave.”  Guru Sahib had decided to release Saifdeen from the cycle of birth and death as his heart was filled with love.  Saifdeen’s devotion grew by the day.  He would listen to Guru Sahib’s sermons every day and serve him well.  Guru ji stayed there with joy.